An Apple for Zoë ~ The Forsaken (12 page)

"Mike, hang on I'm coming up!" said James. Kirkland could hear the sounds of James crawling up the ladder to make his way inside the airshaft. Kirkland put his hands out straight as he tried to find his way in the darkness. Suddenly he felt as if he was in open space. Throwing his hands back and forth he slowly staggered across the cavernous attic of The Aleris Hotel. Once more he tried his lighter. For a brief moment there was enough light for him to see a wall straight ahead of him with some writing on it. It looked like an exit. He couldn't make out the words as his light was now completely burned out. Reaching the wall, Kirkland gave a sigh of relief and rested his face against what felt like cold metal bars. He then could hear the rustling of another person.

"Mike!" called James from a distance.

"Over here!" shouted Kirkland as he anxiously waited to see his best friend and partner. A strong bright beam of light pierced the blackness of the attic. It crossed back and forth across the room like a prison searchlight.

"Here Tom, I'm here," he called as the light grew closer. "Mike just hang on!" said James. Kirkland turned to the sound of James's voice when suddenly the bright beam of light then reached his face startling him. "Oh thank God Tom, I thought I was never going to get out of here," he exclaimed.
 

James slowly moved closer, keeping his light on Kirkland. He looked so pale and ghost-like in the beam of the light. "It's okay now buddy," said James as his light illuminated Kirkland's euphoric expression. "Thanks a million Tom, I'm happy as hell to see you, but could you point that thing somewhere other than my eyes, I think I'm blind enough as it is," laughed Kirkland.
 
James shared in his laugh for a moment and then aimed the flashlight directly at Kirkland's chest.
 

"Ready to get the hell out of here?" said Kirkland as he then saw James's expression change.
 

"What is it, Tom?"
 

James aimed the light at the wall behind him. "Step away from the wall, Mike," said James in a cautioned voice. Kirkland did as ordered and quickly moved to James's side, where he now could see what had changed the expression on his partners face so quickly. It was a tall black wrought iron gate with the words twisted into it. "Arbeit Macht Frei"
 

CHAPTER TWELVE

Arbeit Mach Frei

Kirkland turned and looked at the gate, which was now illuminated by the flashlight James was holding. Chills ran down his body.
 

"There's someone else in here with us, Tom," whispered Kirkland as he pulled his gun. James quietly passed the flashlight to Kirkland as he removed his own gun from its holster.
 

"Yeah, and the scary thing is Mike, they want us to know they're here," said James in a hushed tone.

The two men slowly looked around the room
 
for any sign of the dangerous intruder who seemed to be silently moving among them. Kirkland shined the light back to the wrought iron gate that was blocking what appeared to be a doorway.

"Our Nazi has been busy."

"No kidding. I think there's more Zyklon B here than in all of Auschwitz. He must have been planning this for years."

"There's so much of it. I mean there's enough of this stuff here to kill the entire city of San Francisco."

"A masterful plan. Kill an entire city. You're either trying to exact some twisted form of revenge or you're like Herod trying to eliminate Jesus," said Kirkland.

"You actually think old Hermann is hunting for someone? Because this goes way beyond killing Jews, Mike."

A slight whisper of laughter danced across the room. James and Kirkland both froze at the sound of it.

"Better get home kid before the Zodiac gets you,
"
snickered the voice.
 
Kirkland looked at James who was frozen with fear.
 

"WHO'S THERE?" demanded Kirkland, aiming his gun towards the source of the voice.

Only this time the laughter was more pronounced and deep.
 

"You loved her didn't you Thomas James? You loved her with all your heart and she abandoned you. So much for Julie's claim of eternal love."
 

The disembodied voice and laughter echoed across the cavernous room. Kirkland raised the flashlight only to find it was dead. He tried to see in the darkness and pinpoint the source of the sound.

"But that's the trouble with women, isn't it? They seduce you, pull you in, make you want them. Make you their slaves. Then without any thought or warning their love turns to ice. But don't worry Tom, I showed her."

"Don't listen Tom, it's a trap," said Kirkland as he continued attempting to locate the intruder in the blackness of the room.

"Think so Michael? How many lovers did your mother have? Leaving you alone locked inside a closet while she plied her womanly trade. Did you listen, Michael, to her cries of paid pleasure?"
snickered the voice.

"You shut the hell up!" screamed Kirkland as he blindly fired a shot into the darkness. The voice only mocked him in the style of a bratty child
.
"You shut the hell up!"

The room suddenly became cold. James and Kirkland began to shiver when their attention was turned to the strike of a match being lit. The figure on the other side of the room raised it and brought it up to his face to light a cigarette. In the brief moment of illumination, James recognized the face.

 
"Did you two really think I was going to let you come into my hotel and walk away with all of my dirty secrets?" said Grantham as he stepped forward slowly taking a drag from his cigarette.

James and Kirkland both now had their guns aimed directly on him. "Richard, don't take another step, I'm warning you," said Kirkland.
 

"Or what? You're going to kill me? I'm already dead!" he said as he dropped the cigarette to the floor. A flash of light suddenly began moving from the opposite side of the room. The light blazed across the floor of the hotel's attic with a twin flash. The two flashes were now keeping pace with one another as they raced across the room burning a pattern into the floor while they made their way around the mountain of crates of Zyklon B.

"What the hell is that?" whispered Kirkland. The strong odor of gunpowder filled the room. When it became clear to him it was the pattern burning into the floor was that of two lightning bolts. It was the very same pattern that adorned every Gestapo officer's uniform. And they were both burning their way directly at James and Kirkland.

Nervously Kirkland watched the fire line make its way directly at them. James started to back up pulling Kirkland with him. When the fire lines blazed past them and struck the wall behind them. There was a brilliant flash and the wall came to life as the fire began to blaze around the frame of the gate giving it a life of it's own. The words "Arbeit Mach Frei" stared them both in the face as it blocked their only way out.

"We're trapped, Mike," whispered James as they turned to face Grantham who now had a Luger aimed at the two of them.

"You know I told that old fucking Nazi to stop bringing girls here. But they were all so beautiful. How could I stop myself? We both had so many of them over the years. He didn't just want to fuck them though. He kept trying to get them pregnant. And every time I turned around one would show up on my doorstep, and well, you saw the photo album, didn't you Tom? I was always able to solve the problem on my own. I suppose that makes me an accomplice, doesn't it?"

Kirkland and James watched the fire began to rise higher behind Grantham. Their backs were now nearly pressed against the iron-gate. One step further back and both men would be burned. With nowhere to go, James felt the only thing to do was talk.

"Accomplice? Then it was you who took the photo of Hermann next to the furnace," said James confidently.

"So you did look at the album! You've got a great analytical mind Thomas James I'll give you that. But you miss out on all the little details. How many times have you driven past the Aleris at night and not noticed the smoke coming from our incinerators?"
 

James felt sick at the thought of Grantham and Kritzler disposing of so many young girls in the hotel's furnace. "So if you had the incinerator why all of the Zyklon B?"

"You got me there, Tom. Even I didn't know about that one. I guess you'd have to ask the little bitch you let leave here with Jessalee."
 

James and Kirkland shared a look of confusion with one another. Then Kirkland asked a question. "So why did you run away when you saw Valerie?
 

"I was surprised at what old Hermann did to her. Those Nazis sure do have a passion for cruelty. And I guess the lesbian thing must have really pissed him off, especially when they wouldn't let him join in. So he went all Fatty Arbuckle on her
,"
said Grantham giggling.

"They? There was more than one girl?" asked Kirkland.

"Oh yeah, there was more than just Valerie," snickered Grantham in a taunting way. "Ever fucked a couple of sisters at the same time, there Mikey?"

Kirkland's anger began to rise, as he was certain the taunts were referring to Jessalee and Valerie. "Jessalee told me you didn't know Valerie."

"Oh I knew her alright. I knew her better than any man. Take it from me baby, that girl wasn't all lesbian. Maybe that's why Hermann did what he did to her. Since he wasn't able to make her scream like I did,"
Grantham laughed deep and long. Then suddenly, he hesitated.
 

"The fire, it's getting bigger isn't it?" he said without looking
.
"Sure wish I had another cigarette. Oh well it
won't be long now."

"Won't be long until what, Richard?" asked James.

Grantham looked down at the floor deep in thought, and then took in a long deep breath. "Until I drag Kirkland into the fire behind me."

The words hit James like a brick to the face. Before he could totally comprehend what had just been said, Grantham was on Kirkland grabbing him and quickly throwing him to the wooden attic floor. Kirkland began to thrash as James reached for his best friend.
 

Grantham swung a backhand across James's mouth, busting his lower lip, causing James to fall to the floor as well. Looking up as Grantham leered down at him, he then raised a finger and waved it back and forth
.
"It's not your turn yet, Tom."
 

*

The rush of wind came from directly behind James, as a passage door flew open behind the gate. James turned in the direction of the blast of cold air. It was Steve and Jake.

"TOM! Come on get out of there!" shouted Steve. James's attention went back to Kirkland who was kicking and screaming as Grantham walked slowly towards the fire in the center of the attic, pulling Kirkland by his leg behind him.

"I can't leave, Mike! Get this gate open!" screamed James as he went after his best friend.
 

"Tom that Zyklon B is going to explode any second come on!" shouted Steve as he and Jake kicked and pushed at the old gate.
 

"NO!!! Tom, HELP ME!" screamed Kirkland.

James ran and dove across the floor grabbing Kirkland's flailing hands. The two men gripped their hands tightly together as Grantham continued tugging on Kirkland's leg. The roar of the fire became louder as the heat began to become unbearable. The wooden floor only served to make the surface like that of an oven. Grantham looked back over his shoulder at James's attempt to save his best friend.
 

Steve and Jake shoved and pushed at the gate. Slowly the old rotted wooden walls which had been weakened by the fire began to give up their hold on the gate that was keeping James and Kirkland prisoner.
 

"Tom, don't let go!"

"Would you guys fucking hurry!" screamed James.

With another push the two men forced one side of the gate free from the wall. Moving as quickly as possible, Steve and Jake grabbed James by the ankles and began to pull.

James held on to Kirkland for all he was worth as Steve and Jake pulled them away from the blazing inferno and back to the broken gate.
 

"GO! GO!" screamed James as he and Kirkland were pulled to the opening behind the gate. James looked back and saw Grantham standing in the fire. His clothes were now starting to catch and burn. James cringed as he watched the flames consume Grantham. Then slowly Grantham raised Kritzler's Luger aiming it at James. Before he could react there was a quick pop then there was a sudden blast of fire going in every direction. It knocked the four men down the stairs. Tumbling over one another they all crashed at the bottom of the landing.
 

Outside on the street the crowd turned and gasped as the mountain of Zyklon B exploded, blasting glass, wood and concrete everywhere.
 

"Get out of here!" commanded the fire chief as a shower of debris came crashing to the street.
 

In the basement, Bobby and the Hazmat backup team felt the floor of the building shake. "What the hell was that? Are we having an earthquake?"

"That felt like an explosion not an earthquake," responded Donny, one of the Hazmat men.

"What the hell is going on?" demanded Steve as he tried to regain his wits.
 

"That was Grantham," said James as he rolled over Kirkland's unconscious body. Jake quickly applied an oxygen mask to him. The fire had left his trouser legs burnt completely off and the back of Kirkland's legs were blood red.

"It's okay, it's only slight first degree burns Tom," said Jake.

"KIRKLAND!" screamed Grantham from the top of the stairs. The three men looked up to see Grantham engulfed in flames, his hulking figure filling the doorway. His hair had been burnt away and his eyes were red, his suit was smoking and melted to his body. Steve and Jake shook their heads in disbelief.
 

"Impossible," whispered Steve.

Grantham began descending the stairs. The flesh dripped from his hands as he stretched them forth to reclaim his prize that was Michael Kirkland. Jake grabbed Kirkland up and hoisted him over his shoulder and began to make his way down the stairs as James and Steve attempted to block Grantham.